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Disclaimer: Don't own Ranma 1/2 and I never will.
Note: Public or private c&c is appreciated.
Snowflakes on Sake
A powdery snow fell to the ground. The world was a sparkling blanket of
white in a suburb that was decked out in holiday cheer. Store fronts were
painted with snowflakes and toys flooded the windows. The street's lamplight
reflected against the snow creating wintery rainbows. People bustled up and
down the street, arms full of packages. Excitement filled the air. Everyone
couldn't wait to get home to their families . . .
Ryouga tried to shrink further under his umbrella. He knew it was a useless
gesture. Soon, the snow would start to melt and he'd be thrust into hell.
His kept his face cast down. For once, it didn't matter that he was lost. He
had no where to go.
Couples passed him on the street with their arms intertwined and laughing
joyfully. No one gave Ryouga a passing thought as they bustled by with their
busy lives. The cold wind blew through his cloths sending shivers down his
spine.
They were married now. He had lost. Hell, he had never even had a chance.
He stopped a moment and shook the fallen snow off his umbrella.
Not even a snowballs chance in hell. She had always loved him. He lost the
battle before it had ever begun. Just like always, second best, the
understudy. It doesn't matter how hard he sweated, bled and fight. He could
never win.
"Mommy can I have that?"
Ryouga looked toward his right and saw a young boy and his mother. The young
boy was bundled up so tightly the only skin visible was his bright blue
eyes. He pointed to a store front window and rocked back and forth on his
heels.
"Of course you can honey, if you're good," the mother replied hugging her
little boy. The child's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Of course," she replied taking his hand and continuing down the sidewalk.
"All good boys get what they deserve."
Ryouga stared blankly at the retreating forms of mother and son. The
mother's words rang bitter in his ears. Is that was what happening now? He
was getting what he deserved?
He picked up his pace and continued his wandering. He needed a place to sit
down. He was so tired of walking. Every day . . . walking . . .walking . . .
it felt like he was a conveyer belt. No matter how fast he ran, he always
ended up where he started.
He passed more shops, each a sickly reminder of the holidays. After an hour
of continuous wandering, he walked into a small park. The trees were
garnished with a thin sheet of ice. Small icicles clung down the branches
like diamonds. The ground crunched underneath his feet. His footprints made
a solitary path through the newly fallen snow.
Laughter filled the clearing at the end of the path. Ryouga was tempted to
turn around and walk the other way, but something stopped him. Whether it
was simple curiosity, or just a longing to know that someone in the world
was actually happy, he wasn't sure. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward.
A frozen lake lay in the middle of a large clearing, cluttered with ice
skaters. Young and old alike, skated on the frosty lake. There were pros
dancing in graceful circles and arcs and beginners tripping and falling
every few steps. Most of them were holding someone else's hand for balance.
Ryouga had never really learned how to skate . . .
"It must be nice to have someone to fall back on," Ryouga muttered under his
breath and stopped for a moment to watch.
"I really hope Mikado and Azusa aren't here." His shudder had nothing to do
with the icy wind. "At least I would have someone to beat up on, guilt
free." Ryouga sighed. He didn't even have fighting Ranma anymore. At least
his rivalry had been some direction, be it a bad one, in an otherwise
directionless life.
With another heavy sigh that carried the years of a person twice his age, he
turned and continued down the path. The laughter and giggles were left
behind and he found himself alone once again. He tried thoughtless walking
for awhile, but his mind kept wandering. Finally, he spotted a bench and
decided to sit down and brood.
He brushed the snow off the bench and sat down. The old wooden bench creaked
from the pressure.
Ranma and Akane were married; happily married, and ready to take over the
dojo. They'd eventually have kids too . . . kids . . . he couldn't imagine
having a kid. He wasn't sure he wanted to ever have a child. No one deserved
to have a parent that couldn't be there for them. He had done it twice over,
and it wasn't enjoyable. The world had raised him and it was a cruel, cruel,
teacher.
He sat in silence for more than a half an hour, intently gazing at the
delicate snowflakes as they made their chaotic journey to earth. Finally
when he couldn't take his turmoil of emotions anymore, he picked up his
backpack from the side of the bench and procured a bottle of sake. He stared
at the liquid in inside. He hated the stuff. It was the cowards way out, an
easy escape.
Ryouga told his mind to shut up, slowly opened the bottle, and took a sip.
It burned its way down his throat like fire. At least, the pain reminded him
that he was still alive.
The snow collected on his shoulder as he was lost in his thoughts. Lost in
his inner turmoil, he didnt notice the shifting of weight on the bench as
another person sat down. He did notice, however, when said person reached a
hand out and snatched his bottle of sake.
"Hey!" He turned in his seat, and became face to face with Ukyou, looking
almost as bad as he did. Her pretty face was tear streaked and her eyes were
puffy from hours of crying. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders and
glistened with unmelted snow flakes. His anger subsided, and gave away to
his former mood of bitterness.
"The world's taken Ryouga Hibiki's hopes, dreams and reason for living. Now
it wants his sake too?"
She sat perfectly still, ignoring his comments and stared at the bottle. Her
long hair fell across her face shadowing her tears.
"Whatever, I don't really give a damn anymore." She took a long swig.
Grimacing, she sat it back down and glanced at him numbly. "It was a
beautiful wedding wasn't it?"
Ryouga pushed held back his own tears with sheer will power. "Yes, it was.
Akane was . . . an angel." Saotome's angel . . .
"Ranchan looked so dashing and . . . happy." Twin daggers of ice stabbed
both their hearts, and then twisted. Large salty tears ran down Ukyou's face
as she looked Ryouga in the eyes. "We're supposed to be happy for them
aren't we?"
Ryouga looked away unable to hold her gaze. She looked away too. She knew
the answer.
"So why are you sitting here, drinking sake with a loser on Christmas Eve?"
He glanced back at her. His expression was unreadable.
"Are you asking me or yourself?" she muttered.
Ryouga reached over and took his bottle back. He put his lips to the rim and
took a quick swig.
"What about you and Akari?" Ukyou wiped her face absently with her sleave.
"Shouldn't you be on some farm somewhere, taking care of the little piglets?
I thought you were in love with her?"
Ryouga's face cringed like he had been slapped. Pain that he had been almost
been able to ignore flooded to the surface. Like a jagged blade it ripped
out his soul. He couldn't hold back the tears as they spilled over the rim
of his eye lids. He almost lost complete control, but somehow reached a hand
out of the abyss and pulled himself back up to the edge.
" I thought I was too, but . . . I just liked the idea of someone liking me.
Do you know what I mean? When no one looks at you twice and then suddenly
someone pays attention to you?"
"No."
"Your lying." Ryouga smirked, despite his pain. His companion glared at him
irritability.
"When did you become so observant of the outside world?"
"I much prefer it to looking inside myself." His small smile faded as he
took a long swig of sake and drained its contents considerably. The
heartbroken okinomiyaki chef looked forlornly at the bottle.
"Hey your drinking it all . . ." She glared at him but there was no real
malice in the expression. He rolled his eyes and handed her the bottle.
"Sorry for drinking my own sake."
"I forgive you." She took another sip, and replied softly, "I don't know
about you, but what I had for Ranchan was true love."
Ryouga glanced at her with pity.
"Yeah I'm sure it was."
Ukyou scowled and yanked the bottle from his hands again. "Damn you, can't
you just let me have my delusions?"
"Welcome to the real world spatula girl." His misery enveloped him like a
cold wet blanket but he decided to keep talking. He needed to tell someone.
"Akari deserves to have someone that's in love with her. I tried, but I
couldn't make myself love her. I guess it doesn't work that way. Heh. . .
and anyways I'm not sure if I could stand being around pigs that much for
the rest of my life."
Ukyou blinked. "What? You don't like pigs?"
"Yeah something like that." A faint blush appeared on his pale face.
Something about what he said didn't sit well with Ukyou so she trudged
forward.
"But if you had married Akane, wouldn't she still have had her pet pig
around?" Ryouga blinked several times. After a long stretch of silence, he
burst into laughter. The sound was more of a mockery of laughter with no
mirth. He stopped after a few moments, more shaken then he had been all
night.
"What's so damn funny?"
"Nothing, Ukyou that's the problem." He took off two bandanna's. He handed
one to Ukyou and used the other to wipe off the tears from his face. The
wetness on his cheeks had started to burn from the icy wind. Ukyou looked at
him concerned.
He must have drunk more of the bottle than she had thought. At quick glance
at it confirmed her suspicions. Yep they were out.
Ryouga saw her look, and shrugged noncommittally. "That's ok we got another
one."
"What did you do? Spend your last couple yen on sake?" Ukyou raised an
eyebrow.
"Nah." He pulled another bottle from his pack. "Wanna hear something funny?
We Hibiki's have got money, I've probably got as much money in my wallet
right now as Kuno does, maybe even more. But none of us can even stay in one
place long enough to enjoy any of it. We put it in the bank and never get
back to it."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, passing the bottle back and forth and
getting new ones when they ran out. A young couple holding hands strolled
passed them, laughing and giggling. They didn't seem to have a care in the
world as they leaned into each other for support and whispered things into
each others ears. When they finally disappeared from sight, Ukyou turned
towards Ryouga.
"So what's your plan Hibiki? Get drunk, fall asleep in the snow, and die?
"Yep. That's about it."
"Maybe, I'll join you."
"No you won't." Ryouga shook his head. "You have people that would miss you.
Besides, I don't want it looking like we committed some kind of lovers
suicide pact or anything."
"I don't have anyone that would miss me." She looked down at her hands.
"What about Konatsu?"
Ukyou looked like someone had just tried to feed her ranmen as a look of
utter disgust crossed her face. "Konatsu's a girl."
"Uh I thought--
"It doesn't matter what's on the outside. Inside, Konatsu's a girl. I am NOT
going to marry a man who would enjoy sitting around and braiding flowers in
our hair, thank you very much."
"He'd still miss you. I'm not going to let you kill yourself with me. I'd
just have guilt in the after life."
Ukyou blinked. "Isn't the whole point of suicide to get rid of your pain? No
pain in the afterlife?"
"Your right . . . damn. There's a flaw in the plan." Ryouga scowled.
Ukyou frowned as her vision started to blur.
"I'm startin to get a bit tipsy."
"Starting?"
"I'd punch you if you would stop swaying from side to side." She blinked and
tried to focus her eyes. She shrugged as the four Ryouga's turned into two.
It was good enough. "You dun seem to be holdin your liquor that well
either."
Ryouga grinned evilly. A small fang peeked out from his lower lip. He was
starting to feel pretty good.
"Heh, you're right. A couple more drinks and I'd almost get together with
you." The dark contents swirled inside the container. He could almost see
the swirls forming the images of Akane and Akari. From now on he was staying
away from girls whose names started with 'A'. They just weren't' good for
him.
"You should be so lucky!" She raised her fist in the air. Or at least, she
thought she raised her hand in the air. "I'm too good for you anyway."
Ryouga's face fell. He gazed down at his sake bottle.
" . . . you are."
" . . ." She leaned back on the bench, letting the icy flakes of snow fall
across her face. The tiny flecks melted into small water droplets. They fell
down her face like makeshift tears. A weary sigh escaped her slightly
cracked lips. Finally, she looked back at Ryouga. Her deep brown eyes met
his intense green ones.
"No, I'm not."
"It sure took you a long time."
She giggled drunkenly and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Ryouga-chan."
He shrugged. Why was she apologizing anyway? He couldn't remember . . . Hey
they were on their fourth bottle now. "Ah, dat's ok."
"Achoo!"
"Ah man, all over my shirt." He looked at his sleave and wrinkled his nose.
"You really shouldn't be out here. You'll catcha cold."
"Nuh uh. Don't try to cuddle me just cause I'm a girl! I can take care of
myself."
Ryouga's cheeks blushed crimson, despite the alcoholic haze his mind swum
in.
"Cuddle?"
"No coddle. Pervert. Get your mind out of the gutter."
"OOOOOh, sorry."
Ukyou's eyes slowly slid closed and then flashed openly quickly. Her alcohol
filled mind wanted to shut down. Whatever big pillow she was leaning against
was warm and comfortable. But something wasn't right. Oh . . . the falling
asleep and dying in the snow thing. Rrirrriiiiight.
"I think you're right. Cute girls sssshhhoudln't die in the sssnow."
"Oh but the ugly guyzz can?"
"Heh. I wasn't talkin about you." She felt something squishy in her hand.
She looked down and noticed she still had the bandanna Ryouga had lent her.
"Here." She held it up to his face. He took one look at the soiled yellow
and black rag and sweatdropped.
"Uh . . . keepsss it."
"Gee thanks." She yawned. "Tis the season to be givin. I dun have anything
fer you." She looked down at her bandolier, pulled out a small throwing
spatula, and handed it to him.
"Um . . . thanks . . . I guess."
"You can use it to hit people with."
"How bouts cooking?"
"Oh it can do that too."
"Merrrrry Chrissstmasss."
"Merrry Chrisstmass jackaaasss."
Ukyou yawned and leaned in further next to the soft, warm pillow she was
laying on. Her eyelids floated shut. She wanted to do something. What was
it? Oh yeah, sleep. Sleep be nice.
"I'm gonna take a nap right now."
"Hmm? Ok." Ryouga's eyelids fluttered closed. Sleep nice idea. Ukyou always
had such good ideas . . .
The two fell asleep for the rest of the night. In the morning, Ukyou awoke
with a pounding headache and wondering why she fell asleep next to P-chan.
Nevertheless, she took him home with her. He looked just as sad and lonely
as she was . . . and oddly seemed to have a hangover too . . .